Manufacturing Transfer Program Lead

Manufacturing Transfer Program Lead

The Manufacturing Transfer Program Lead will be responsible for planning, leading, and executing the transfer of new product lines from internal manufacturing operations to contract manufacturing partners in Malaysia. This role serves as the primary program leader responsible at the host factory in the US for ensuring a seamless transition from prototype and pilot production into high-volume manufacturing to a CM in Malaysia while meeting cost, quality, delivery, and customer requirements. The successful candidate will lead cross-functional teams across engineering, supply chain, quality, procurement, operations, and contract manufacturing organizations to establish scalable manufacturing capabilities and supply chain readiness in Malaysia. This Project Lead will have an equivalent person leading the effort in Malaysia to ensure both the current and future locations for manufacturing and the associated project plan are executed seamlessly.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Leadership

• Serve as the overall program manager for manufacturing transfer activities.
• Develop and execute detailed transfer plans, schedules, resource plans, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Lead cross-functional teams across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Procurement, and Contract Manufacturing.
• Drive program reviews, executive updates, milestone tracking, and issue resolution.
• Escalate critical risks and develop recovery plans when necessary.
• Ensure transfer milestones are completed on schedule and within budget.

Contract Manufacturer Management

• Act as the primary interface between ATS and the contract manufacturer.
• Establish and manage operational governance with CM leadership.
• Ensure manufacturing processes, documentation, work instructions, test procedures, and training programs are fully implemented.
• Monitor CM readiness, capacity, quality performance, and delivery metrics.
• Drive accountability for CM execution and continuous improvement activities.

Manufacturing Transfer Execution

• Lead all phases of product transfer from internal manufacturing to contract manufacturing.
• Coordinate prototype builds, pilot runs, first article builds, qualification activities, and volume ramp.
• Ensure manufacturing equipment, tooling, fixtures, test systems, and materials are available and qualified.
• Manage transfer checkpoints and ensure completion of all deliverables prior to production release.
• Validate production readiness before volume shipment authorization.
• Lead the interaction with the R&D team to ensure the product stability and readiness before the transfer and works with the marketing and customer team to make sure we have a monthly forecast, etc.

Supply Chain & Operations Readiness

• Coordinate sourcing, procurement, inventory transfer, and supplier readiness activities.
• Ensure material availability to support pilot builds and production ramp schedules.
• Establish inventory strategies, logistics flows, and service support models in Malaysia.
• Partner with Procurement to identify cost reduction opportunities and localization strategies.

Quality & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure manufacturing processes meet company quality standards and customer requirements.
• Drive process validation, yield improvement, and corrective action activities.
• Establish KPI dashboards covering:
  • On-Time Delivery
  • First Pass Yield
  • Product Quality
  • Cost Performance
  • Capacity Utilization
• Lead audits, qualifications, and customer manufacturing assessments as required.

Stakeholder & Executive Communication

• Provide regular status updates to executive leadership.
• Coordinate communication across global stakeholders in North America, Asia, and Europe.
• Maintain project documentation, action registers, risk logs, and program trackers.
• Facilitate milestone reviews and decision-making forums.
• All other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or related field.
• MBA preferred.

Experience

• 10+ years of manufacturing, operations, supply chain, or program management experience.
• 5+ years leading manufacturing transfers, NPI, or outsourcing initiatives.
• Direct experience working with contract manufacturers in Southeast Asia.
• Experience in semiconductor test, thermal solutions, electronics manufacturing, capital equipment, or high-mix low-volume manufacturing environments strongly preferred.
• Proven success managing cross-functional global programs.

Technical Knowledge

• NPI and volume manufacturing transfer processes.
• Contract manufacturing operations.
• Supply chain management and procurement.
• Manufacturing quality systems.
• Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• ERP and PLM systems.
• Program management tools and methods.

Leadership Competencies

• Strong executive presence and communication skills.
• Ability to influence without direct authority.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Structured problem-solving and risk management skills.
• Ability to operate effectively across cultures and time zones.
• Willingness to be hands-on during factory startup and ramp activities.